Just as the progressives in America push liberty killing legislation in the name of charity and compassion, globalist progressives are attempting to make the confiscation of wealth appear as though it is an acceptable practice.
It is unfortunate that just a few days ago Pope Francis solidified this stance when he used the term “legitimate redistribution” to exemplify his support for government to “spread the wealth.” While the Pope is certainly entitled to his opinion, the issue of stealing from one to give to another goes against everything Christian. “Thou Shall Not Steal” sounds pretty straight forward to me. Yet the Pope who claims to be God’s representative on earth, is creating an illusion that stealing is no longer a sin. Or as Obama would say, the end justifies the means.
There are some that would argue that the Pope was misunderstood, that he was calling for voluntary private charity and that may be the case. But, it is a fact that the Catholic Church has long been involved in the social justice movement calling for regulated markets and a governmental role in redistribution of wealth.
Ambrose Pritchard at The Telegraph writes that Liberation Theology is back. One of the Pope’s first gestures after his acclamation was to invite Peru’s Gustavo Gutiérrez to Rome, the priest who wrote the original “Magna Carta” for Liberation Theology in 1968, the symbol of the movement. Evangilii Gaudium is the doctrinal statement of this Leftward swing. It decries the “trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralised workings of the prevailing economic system.”
It was in a speech just last year that Pope Francis denounced “trickle-down” economic theory as bringing injustice and inclusiveness into the world. He said that violence and conflict will be evitable since the current economic system is unjust at its roots (capitalism). So when you view his latest comments in context, it is very likely that Pope Francis meant exactly what he said.
While the perception of redistribution to help others might suggest that it is a noble and compassionate cause, no matter how you slice it, redistribution is government endorsed stealing. It happened recently in Greece and now Poland is dabbling with a so-called ‘bail-in,’ which is Socialist justification for stealing your personal savings.
Mark my word – The American left-wing media’s embrace of Pope Francis’s anti-capitalist comments will become the new push for Obama’s ‘soak the rich,’ income equality Socialism using faith as a vehicle.
There are those that attempt to connect the Words of Christ to justify redistribution. The most often quoted is Luke 18:18-25. For those not familiar with the passages, a ruled asked Christ what he must do to inherit eternal life. Christ reminds him of God’s commandments which the ruler claimed he had kept from his youth. Most readers, however, do not catch that Christ omitted the tenth Commandment, “Thou Shall Not Covet” which the ruler was guilty of. That is the reason Christ told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor.
Having wealth accumulated through God’s blessings is not a sin but the love of money is. And from the scriptures it is obvious that the ruler loved his money more than he loved God. To that Christ said “how hard shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
The needle’s eye is a gate that was used at night because it was smaller and easier to guard. It would only allow one person through at a time. Most modes of transportation of goods during this period was by camel and it was impossible for a camel to enter through the needle gate unless he was completely unloaded of his burden and entered on his knees.
Capitalism, while not perfect, is responsible for the highest standard of living in the history of mankind, made possible due to a key component called “incentive.” Incentive is created by empowering the individual. When you eliminate the incentive to get ahead, when you punish those that contribute something to society, all you have left is a society of parasites.
Margaret Thatcher once said that “the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” That is exactly why welfare societies fail, the takers eventually out-number the makers and from that point on, disaster is unavoidable.
Socialism only pretends to concern itself with the poor, the down trodden. They promise a selfless ruling class that will spread fairness but nowhere, in any socialist country, have we seen anything similar to the promise.
Source: Capitalism and The Catholic Church, SaveAmericaFoundation.com
